this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2023
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Should we terraform Mars? (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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If so, this should not preclude us from cleaning up our own planet first!

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think it's unfortunately a bad idea for three main reasons (ignoring any practical issues with the terraforming):

  • the low gravity can't be changed, and can't be ignored.
  • the lack of a magnetic field means issues with radiation reaching the surface we're shielded from
  • the combination of these two would lead to any atmosphere we could create needing regular top ups, as it would be erroding constantly.
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

The magnetic field issue is a biggie, and would have to be addressed before any large-scale colonization efforts could begin, but is hypothetically solvable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, there have to be better alternatives than Mars if we really want to have large human colonies outside of earth.